Our Mission

Parenting is both rewarding and challenging. All parents need the support of others to gain perspective, to share resources, and to develop strategies. Therefore, the mission of Rise for baby and family is to:

Assist in identifying infants and toddlers with a variety of special needs and provide quality services to encourage optimal early development.

Recognize the uniqueness of families and provide them with the support needed in their child’s early years.

Provide community leadership assuring comprehensive services for young children and their families.

About Rise for baby and family

Rise is a small non-profit agency that began in 1981 as an add-on program of the Monadnock Children’s Center. In operation since 1966, the Children’s Center was responsible for starting some of the first special education programs in the Region.

With the advent of the Individuals with Disabilities Act, school systems began providing special education programs to children age three and up. The agency’s name then began its evolution to Rise for baby and family. It is commonly known as Rise.

Rise has been a part of New Hampshire’s Developmental Service System since the beginning. We are a vendor agency for Monadnock Developmental Services. The growth of Rise has been rapid, expanding from serving 40 infants and toddlers in 1981 to serving 230 in 2014.

Virtually all Rise supports and services are delivered to families in their most natural and relaxed environments. These setting generally range between the home and child care.

Rise Child Care Program and Play Group were started in 1988. They continue to demonstrate that all children can benefit when children with special needs are included with their typically developing peers in a high quality program.

Two key ingredients of Rise for baby and family’s success are the growth and retention of qualified staff and the support of our community.

Ways to Help

As a non-profit, Rise for baby and family is always looking for ways to engage community members in being able to give back. Rise for baby and family accepts:

Volunteers to support our gardens (in the spring and summer), routine cleaning projects, and building maintenance

Volunteers to hold babies and play with young children

Volunteers to staff our annual events

Financial donations – no matter how small or big, financial donations support the work of Rise for baby and family and directly impacts the services provided to children and families.

No matter which way you give, you know you are supporting Rise for baby and family in making a difference in the lives of children and families throughout the Monadnock Region.

Support Staff

We’d like to introduce you to your support staff:

Nancy HitchnerOffice Manager

JoAnn PerlowskiFinance Administrator

Jean ShepardInsurance Billing Specialist

Rise serves more than 250 children birth to three annually with early intervention and child care programs.